Trustees hear plans to reallocate bond fund budgets

Construction Services executives Thursday recommended to trustees reallocating several million dollars in bond funds as part of a plan to free up dollars for improvements to schools with more pressing needs. The plan calls for the district to purchase less land and build fewer new schools than originally planned, resulting in savings to pay for renovation and expansion at existing schools.

Two originally proposed new schools, one in east Dallas and a second in North Dallas, will not be built, saving millions, money that will instead be used to fund improvements at W.T. White High School and E.D. Walker Middle School, set to become a future K-8 Choice school.

A combination of savings from land purchases no longer needed for new schools and anticipated reductions in management fees will substantially increase dollars allocated to improvements at David W. Carter High School, and Eduardo Mata Montessori, which is expected to be expanded to serve students in grades K-8. An earlier decision by the board to consolidate several west Dallas schools has freed up funds originally budgeted for improvements at Carver Learning Center and Dallas Environmental Science Academy. Dollars originally earmarked for Carver improvements will now go to C.F. Carr, which will serve Carver students next school year. The consolidation will also make available funds for improvements to the Amelia Earhart campus which will become the new home of the Dallas Environmental Science Academy.

Future plans call for savings to be applied to improvements at William B. Travis Vanguard/Academy and IDEA at Fannin. The board will consider exact dollar reallocations at a future board meeting.